The invention relates to a socket for use as a connector (hereinafter referred to as socket for a connector), and in particular, to a socket suitable for an optical connector, installed in a tabletop digital signal input/output device for a DVD, TV, STB (set top box: an adapter unit for satellite broadcasting), CD, MD, an amplifier, and so forth.
With a conventional socket for a connector, for example, a socket for an optical connector, there is involved a risk that foreign matter such as dust, dirt, and so forth is allowed to make ingress in a plug hole when a plug of the optical connector has not been inserted in the plug hole, and a transmit/receive face of an optical device, disposed in the direction of the innermost part of the plug hole, is dirty, thereby deteriorating optical transfer efficiency, so that transfer of given optical signals can not be effected. Further, in the case of the optical device emitting light, there occurs leakage of the light to the outside, and consequently, a person has sometimes suffered an injury in the eyes upon looking into the plug hole.
For this reason, it has been a normal practice with the conventional socket for the optical connector to prepare in advance a cap formed in a shape substantially identical to a internal structure of the plug hole, and to fit the cap into the plug hole so as to block up the same when the plug is not inserted in the plug hole, thereby preventing injuries to the eyes as well as intrusion of foreign matter such as dust, dirt, and so forth into the plug hole.
Since the cap is a component separated from the socket, however, the cap is prone to be lost after removal from the socket when the plug is in use, and if the socket is left as it is with the plug missing, this will cause inconveniences as described above. In order to eliminate such inconveniences, there has been proposed a socket for an optical connector, provided with shutters disposed on the front of a plug hole. For example, a socket for an optical connector, provided with a shutter mechanism disposed on the front of a plug hole, is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2000-131564. The socket proposed therein will be broadly described hereinafter so that the present invention can be easily understood.
FIG. 17 is a sectional view showing a plug and the socket, FIG. 17(A) a fragmentary sectional view of the plug, and FIG. 17(B) a sectional view of the socket, showing a state prior to the socket provided with a pair of shutters being coupled up with the plug.
With the socket 200 in a state where the plug 100 is yet to be inserted therein, a pair of shutters 210a, 210b are urged to an inlet side of a plug hole 202 by elastic members 240a, 240b, respectively, and consequently, the inlet side of the plug hole 202 is blocked up with the pair of the shutters 210a, 210b. 
When the plug 100 is inserted into the socket 200 in such a state as described, and such insertion is started with force greater than an urging force of the elastic members 240a, 240b, respectively, the front wall of the shutters 210a, 210b, respectively, is pushed by a plug extremity 106, whereupon the respective shutters 210a, 210b are rotated, centering around axes 220a, 220b, respectively, and the extremity of the respective shutters 210a, 210b is pushed into the plug hole 202, in the direction of the innermost part thereof. When the plug 100 is further pushed, the respective shutters 210a, 210b start being guided by long extended holes 230a, 230b, respectively, serving as a guiding mechanism, and are shifted into upper and lower rooms 250a, 250b, respectively. The path of such shift of the extremity of the respective shutters 210a, 210b is indicated by a dash and double-dotted line in the figure.
Upon further pushing the plug 100 forward, the plug extremity 106 is inserted into a hole 204 defined in a protruded part 205 provided in the innermost part of the plug hole 202, and is held therein. Upon the insertion of the plug extremity 106 in the hole 204, the tip of an optical fiber 107 is butted against, or brought close to an optical device 300, whereupon transmit/receipt of optical signals is executed. In the figure, reference numeral 101 denotes a plug main body, 103 an engaging protuberance, 105 recesses, and 109 protrusions. When the plug is coupled up with the socket, the protrusions 109 are fitted into socket recesses 206, respectively, and the plug extremity 106 is stably held.
Conversely, in the case of pulling the plug 100 out of the plug hole 202, a procedure as described above is reversed. That is, the respective shutters 210a, 210b automatically return to the inlet side of the plug hole 202 by the urging force of the respective elastic members 240a, 240b while being guided by the long extended holes 230a, 230b, respectively.
With such a construction as described, however, the plug hole 202 needs to be provided with space for allowing the engaging protuberance 103 of the plug 100 to be inserted therein, the upper and lower rooms 250a, 250b, extended from the space described above, and disposed in the upper and lower edge parts thereof, respectively, on the inlet side thereof, for independently housing the shutters 210a, 210b, respectively, and the long extended holes 230a, 230b, serving as the guiding mechanism for guiding the shutters 210a, 210b between the inlet side and the upper and lower rooms 250a, 250b, respectively. Accordingly, the number of components increases, a socket housing is complex in structure, and the components are unable to be assembled with ease.
Further, another socket comprising a single shutter mechanism is disclosed in the abovementioned JP, 2000-131564, A.
FIG. 18 is a sectional view showing a plug and the socket, FIG. 18(A) a fragmentary sectional view of the plug, and FIG. 18(B) a sectional view of the socket, showing a state prior to the socket provided with the single shutter mechanism being coupled up with the plug.
With the socket 200A in a state where the plug 100A is yet to be inserted therein, a shutter 210A is urged towards an inlet side of a plug hole 202A by an elastic member 240A, and consequently, the inlet side of the plug hole 202A is blocked up with the shutter 210A. When the plug 100A is inserted into the socket 200A in such a state as described, and such insertion is started with force greater than an urging force of the elastic member 240A, the front wall of the shutter 210A is butted against, and pushed by a plug extremity 106A, whereupon the shutter 210A is rotated, centering around an axis 220A, causing the extremity of the shutter 210A to make its way into the plug hole 202, in the direction of the innermost part thereof. The path of such shift of the extremity of the shutter 210A is indicated by a dash line in the figure.
When the plug 100A is further pushed, an edge part of an engaging protuberance 103A, on the lower side thereof, come into slidable contact with the bottom face of the plug hole 202A, on the inlet side thereof, while an edge part 105A of the engaging protuberance 103A, on the upper side thereof, is butted against the front face of the shutter 210A. Upon further pushing the plug 100A forward, the shutter 210A in a horizontal posture is housed in a room 260A of the plug hole 202A, and the plug extremity 106A is inserted into a hole 204A defined in a protruded part 205A provided in the innermost part of the plug hole 202A, and is held therein. As a result of the plug extremity 106A being inserted in the hole 204A and being held therein, the tip of an optical fiber 107A is butted against, or brought close to an optical device 300A, whereupon transmit/receipt of optical signals is executed. Conversely, in the case of pulling the plug 100A out of the plug hole 202A, a procedure as described above is reversed. That is, the shutter 210A automatically returns to the inlet side of the plug hole 202A by the urging force of the elastic member 240A.
With such a construction as described, however, the plug hole 202A needs to be provided with space 250A for allowing the engaging protuberance 103A of the plug 100A to be inserted therein, and the room 260A extended from the space 250A, sufficient for housing the shutter 210A in the horizontal posture therein. Furthermore, the depth dimension of the plug hole 202A needs to be slightly larger than the height dimension of the shutter 210A. Accordingly, portions of the space 250A, indicated by a dash and double-dotted line in FIG. 18(B), become obstructive, and need to be removed at the time of molding. More specifically, the protruded part 205A, the innermost sidewall, and inner walls of the space 250A need to be shaved off in order to enlarge portions of cavity, in the innermost part of the plug hole 202A. As a result of such a change in construction, there is involved a risk of retention of the plug extremity 106A being destabilized due to a shortened length of the protruded part 205A, and a resultant decrease in the depth of the hole 204A. Meanwhile, there has been a problem with the socket in that a change in specification, in this aspect, is required to be adapted to the EIAJ specification.
The invention has been intended to solve the problems described in the foregoing, and objects of the invention are as follows.
The main object of the invention is to provide a socket for a connector, capable of maintaining high reliability thereof, more specifically, a socket for a connector, capable of preventing foreign matter such as dust, dirt, and so forth from making ingress therein
Another object of the invention is to provide a socket for a connector, simple in construction, wherein the number of components constituting the socket is reduced, so that assembling is effected with ease.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a socket for a connector, simple in construction, wherein the number of components constituting the socket is reduced, so that replacement, repair, and so forth of the components as well as assembling is effected with ease.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a socket for a connector, capable of preventing foreign matter such as dust, and so forth from making ingress therein, and eliminating leakage of light to the outside thereof without deviating from the EIAJ specification.
To achieve the above objects, the invention is achieved by the following means.
A socket for a connector according to a first aspect of the invention comprises a cavity for allowing a plug to be inserted therein, a protuberance provided within the cavity, a through hole defined substantially at the center of the protuberance, for allowing a plug extremity to be inserted from outer end thereof, and a connector element disposed at inner end of the through hole, opposite thereto, wherein an opening is defined in the wall of the through hole by cutting off a part of the wall, characterized in that when the shutter is inserted into the opening, the through hole is blocked up with the shutter by an urging force of an elastic member while the through hole is released from a blocked state upon the insertion of the plug.
Since the through hole is blocked up with the shutter prior to the insertion of the plug, foreign matter is prevented from making ingress in the socket.
The socket for a connector according to a second aspect of the invention is characterized in that, with the socket of the first aspect of the invention, the opening is defined in the wall extending either right and left in the horizontal direction or up and down in the vertical direction. Since the through hole is blocked up with the shutter prior to the insertion of the plug, foreign matter is prevented from making ingress in the socket.
The socket for a connector according to a third aspect of the invention is characterized in that, with the socket of the first or second aspect of the invention, an inclined face is formed on one end face of the shutter, and when an extremity of the inclined face is butted against the through hole, the through hole is blocked with the shutter while when the inclined face is pressed by the plug extremity, the shutter is moved against the urging force of the elastic member to release the through hole from a block state.
Since the through hole is blocked up with the shutter prior to the insertion of the plug, foreign matter is prevented from making ingress in the socket. Further, the operation of the shutter mechanism becomes smooth by the provision of the inclined face.
The socket for a connector according to a fourth aspect of the invention is characterized in that, with the socket of third aspect of the invention, a groove or a step is defined at the portion where the inclined extremity of the shutter is butted against the inner face of the through hole, causing the inclined extremity of the shutter to make ingress in the groove or butted against the step.
Since the through hole is blocked up with the shutter prior to the insertion of the plug, foreign matter is prevented from making ingress in the socket. Further, the operation of the shutter mechanism becomes smooth by the provision of the inclined face, thereby more effectively preventing foreign matter from making ingress in the socket.
The socket for a connector according to a fifth aspect of the invention comprises a cavity for allowing a plug to be inserted therein, a protuberance provided within the cavity, a through hole defined substantially at the center of the protuberance, for allowing a plug extremity to be inserted from outer end thereof, and a connector element disposed at inner end of the through hole, opposite thereto, wherein an opening is defined in the wall of the through hole by cutting off a part of the wall disposed opposite to the other end of the through hole, characterized in that when a pair of shutters are inserted into the opening, one ends of the respective shutters are urged by elastic members while the other ends of the respective shutters are brought into contact with each other to block up the through hole and the through hole is released from a blocked state upon the insertion of the plug.
Since the through hole is blocked up with the pair of shutters prior to the insertion of the plug, foreign matter is prevented from making ingress in the socket.
The socket for a connector according to a sixth aspect of the invention is characterized in that, with the socket of the fifth aspect of the invention, the opening is defined in the walls of the through hole by cutting off a part of the walls disposed opposite at inner end of the through hole in the vertical direction, wherein when the pair of shutters are inserted into the opening, one ends of the respective shutters are urged by elastic members while the other ends of the respective shutters are brought into contact with each other to block up the through hole and the through hole is released from a blocked state upon the insertion of the plug.
Since the through hole is blocked up with the pair of shutters prior to the insertion of the plug, foreign matter is prevented from making ingress in the socket.
The socket for a connector according to a seventh aspect of the fifth aspect of the invention, the opening is defined in the walls of the through hole by cutting off a part of the walls disposed opposite at inner end of the through hole in the horizontal direction, wherein when the pair of shutters are inserted into the opening, one ends of the respective shutters are urged by elastic members while the other ends of the respective shutters are brought into contact with each other to block up the through hole and the through hole is released from a blocked state upon the insertion of the plug.
Since the through hole is blocked up with the pair of shutters prior to the insertion of the plug, foreign matter is prevented from making ingress in the socket.
The socket for a connector according to an eighth aspect of the invention is characterized in that, with the socket of any of the fifth to seventh aspects of the invention, wherein inclined faces are formed on one end faces of the shutters while leaving extremities of the shutters on the one end faces by small part, and when extremities of the shutters are butted against each other, the through hole is blocked up with the shutters, while when the inclined faces are pressed by a plug extremity, the shutters are moved against the urging force of the elastic member to release the through hole from a blocked state.
Since the through hole is blocked up with the pair of shutters prior to the insertion of the plug, foreign matter is prevented from making ingress in the socket. Further, the operation of the shutter mechanism becomes smooth by the provision of the inclined face.
The socket for a connector according to a ninth aspect of the invention is characterized in that, with the socket of the eighth aspect of the invention, inclined faces are formed on one end faces of the shutters while leaving extremities of the shutters on the one end faces by small part, and a protrusion piece having elasticity is provided on the tip end of one inclined face, wherein when the extremities of the shutters are brought into contact with each other, the protrusion piece is brought into contact with the other inclined face elastically to block up the through hole, while when the inclined faces are pressed by a plug extremity, the shutters are moved against the urging force of the elastic member to release the through hole from a blocked state.
Since the through hole is blocked up with the pair of shutters prior to the insertion of the plug, foreign matter is prevented from making ingress in the socket. Further, the operation of the shutter mechanism becomes smooth by the provision of the inclined face, thereby more effectively preventing foreign matter from making ingress in the socket.
The socket for a connector according to a tenth aspect of the invention is characterized in that, with the socket of any of the first to ninth aspects of the invention, the plug is a plug for an optical connector and the connector element is an optical element. Accordingly, when the socket is coupled up with the plug for an optical connector, in a state prior to the insertion of the plug, foreign matter is prevented from making ingress in the socket. Further, the socket housing can be applied to the plug for the optical connector without changing an EIAJ specification.
The socket for a connector according to an eleventh aspect of the invention is characterized in that, with the socket of any of the first to ninth aspects of the invention, the plug is a plug for an electric connector and the connector element is an electric connector element. Accordingly, with the electric connector, foreign matter is prevented from making ingress in the socket.
A method of assembling a socket for a connector according to a twelfth aspect of the invention is characterized in comprising, using a socket defining a narrow opening in the rear face of a socket housing for allowing a shutter and components to be inserted therein and a cover body to be fitted therein, causing the shutter and the components to be fixed therein.
According to this assembling method, the configuration of the narrow opening is easily molded for allowing the components constituting the socket to be inserted and set therethrough, thereby simplifying the assembly.
A method of assembling a socket for a connector according to a thirteenth aspect of the invention is characterized in comprising, using a socket defining a narrow opening in the rear face of a socket housing, setting components on the front face of a cover body, for allowing a shutter to be inserted in the narrow opening and for allowing the cover to be fitted on the narrow opening, causing the shutter to be fixed therein.
According to this assembling method, the configuration of the narrow opening is easily molded and the components constituting the socket can be inserted and set through the narrow opening, thereby simplifying the assembly. Further, since the components are set on the cover body, thereby more simplifying the assembly.